BMW R1200GS Review
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BMW R1200GS One of the biggest names in motorcycle touring worldwide, BMW has just brought out the new version of the R1200GS. The previous versions have established themselves as excellent all-round tourers - comfortable on tar but capable (if a bit heavy) on dirt. One has to wonder what has changed, since the engine has remained essentially the same since its introduction in 2004. This time, they have adapted the two-cylinder from the 1200 HP2 Sport, just as they've done with the R1200RT. The GS thus now sports a double overhead cam, although in contrast to the HP2 Sport, it features only one spark plug per cylinder.
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Okay, so that does not seem like a huge change, and I'm not yet motivated to rush out and sell my current GS and upgrade. And I have to confess that I'm not a fan of the cosmetic changes BMW made to the GS back in 2008. They tarted it up with some silvery plastic bits, which in my opinion just look cheap. But this time, the changes really make a difference. I still prefer the 2006 design, but now the alterations are more than skin deep. And the temptation to upgrade to the 2010 1200GS is growing... There's definitely more power on offer here. BMW's HP2 Sport boasted the most advanced and powerful boxer engine to date, but they've detuned it a bit for fitment to the GS (boo!). One can only suppose that this was done to increase reliability, since the GS is more suited to riding across continents than being thrown round the track. And for that, you need something fairly indestructible. In the end, what you get is a little more power throughout the rev range, and 500rpm more to play with at the top end. The HP2 Sport is a lovely bike, but was only available in small quantities and is not the most suitable for motorcycle touring, especially for tall riders. Thus, I consider it fortunate that they managed to adapt the advance in engine design to something more versatile. A bigger improvement than the engine is probably the gear box, which probably makes more of a difference to the feeling of extra power than does the actual engine. Gear ratios have changed, which will ease some of the complaints from those used to Japanese-made gear boxes. What interests me most is the adjustability of suspension and riding modes. BMW's ESA system has gotten a lot of good reviews on the previous model. The new 1200GS comes with ESA Enduro, which is superb even on the road. The sporty mode firms the bike up significantly, and in the hands of a competent rider can give a much sportier design some competition around the curves. The new model offers even more stability and agility than the previous GS. This is one of the contradictions about the GS, and the GS Adventure model. They're not really supposed to handle as well as they do; the new versions only reaffirm this. I suppose the BMW Telelever fork has always had something to do with increasing rider confidence - it allows suspension and breaking to take place separately, thus eliminating an alarming dip of the front wheel and perhaps offsets a bit of a panic. Unless you're an extremely advanced rider, the bike has more in it than you give it credit for, and one of the biggest obstacles to improving is your own confidence, not the kind of motorcycle you're riding. In this sense the I find many of the BMW models to be superb, in that the new suspension systems will forgive many of your frailties as a rider, but still allow you to get the most out of the bike in the right mode. Of course, the ABS is excellent as usual, and will stop you as fast as anything out there. In the end, these improvements ensure a better touring experience overall, in that it allows you to do more with the motorcycle. It is very gratifying to a tourer like me that there are now several motorcycles out there that will get me across the country in comfort, but can still be fun on the track. When you feel playful, you can turn off the ABS or the ASC. Unless going off-road, or perhaps round the track, I'd recommend keeping the ABS on, but the ASC can be switched off to do naughty things like wheelies. So, no major differences from the previous model, just a slight but noticeable improvement. If you have last year's model, there's little reason to trade up unless you don't have all of the gadgets. (For instance, I don't have ESA, ASC or TPC, and wouldn't mind having those, but don't consider them essential.) But the BMW R1200GS continues to deliver in spades, justifying its enormous market share throughout the world. One does wonder though, what the new 1200 Tenere will bring to the party...Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like it will be available in the US. Conclusion: I'm tempted, but won't upgrade, even if I could easily afford to do so. But if you're in the market for a dual-purpose bike that'll chew up and spit out tar roads but still take you over the nasty parts of Mongolia, you could do worse. In fact, some might say you couldn't do any better...(Cue lively debate on this issue.) One last thought. Due to the many recent technological innovations in the field of motorcycling, I believe this is a golden age of motorcycle touring. There is, however, still the question of how far an adventure motorcyclist can let innovation outstrip his ability to fix it...
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Even though it is lighter than before, this is still a heavy bike. But at 203kg, it has gained ground on the KTM990 in this respect, so one can only wonder where they'll go next. |